Cirque Noir was the theme for the Fantasy Ball, the resort’s hotel’s annual large-scale ringing out of the old year. (Smaller-scale celebrations took place at the hotel’s HMF lounge, the Seafood Bar and the Flagler Steakhouse, but, you know, a gal only has only so many liver cells to go around.)

The evening began with a cocktail reception — both indoors and out, where some re-landscaping and new pavers created a space for cocktails under the stars and a clear view of the ocean. It offered two caviar bars, a raw bar, a sushi bar, a dim sum bar, a champagne bar, several regular bar bars, food stations (dijonnaisse crusted carved rack of lamb) and trays of passed hors d’oeuvres.

Halfway through the cocktail hour, a giant black-and-white striped stilt walker/mignonette puppeteer (whose puppet was a live ballerina) came strolling by, causing us to think that maybe we had already spent too much time at the bar, but everybody else saw it too.

Whew.

After cocktails, guests moved to the Ponce de Leon Ballroom, which the Design Team at The Breakers transformed in a Moulin Rouge-y scene with lots of red and black, richly patterned textiles, twirling umbrellas suspended from the ceilings, and lots of red roses and plumes.

Dinner entertainment — between sets from the legendary Powerhouse band — included acts from Cirque de Soleil, the Moscow Circus, the Quick Change Dancers (13 costume changes in two minutes) a balancing act, Cyr wheels and hula hoop girls. A vintage all-red French Circus Parade kicked off the countdown to midnight, when sparklers blasted from the stage.

The night — or morning, if you will, continued with a buffet breakfast and dancing, dancing, dancing until even Baby New Year decided it was time for a nap.